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Canyonlands National Park

“Running on empty” unfortunately is a very apt description of the Colorado River Basin, which long has had its water overcommitted. Today, the vast watershed that stretches from the mountains of Colorado to the Gulf of California and helps nourish some 30 million residents in the Southwest and Mexico is mired in a long-running drought that threatens to dramatically recast the already-arid region.

With March typically one of the snowier months of the year in the Rocky Mountains, the coming summer float season on rivers through Dinosaur National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park will be something to rave about.

Does your significant other like to get wet? Surprise them for Valentine's Day by booking a couples'-only river trip through Dinosaur National Monument or Canyonlands National Park with Holiday River Expeditions.

Observant readers of the Traveler no doubt noticed some new sponsors and advertisers who believe in our mission to nurture advocates and stewards for the National Park System while exploring how best to get the most out of the park experience.

It's so easy to do a windshield tour of Canyonlands National Park by driving up onto the Island in the Sky District and through the Needles District. But here are five reasons why you should do a little more exploring in the park that preserves a wondrous slice of Utah's canyon country.

Though located in the arid landscape of the Colorado Plateau, the area around Canyonlands National Park attracts a lot of birds and provides valuable habitat for species such as the Mexican spotted owl. As such, the area has been identified as a "Globally Important Bird Area" by the National Audubon Society

If you like to frequent the national parks in southeastern Utah, and not many others, you might consider spending $25 for an annual pass to Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments.

At this time of year, winter waxes as fall wanes, so I thought it pertinent to now emphasize the concerns and rewards of winter photography, be it in the sub-zero temperatures of Yellowstone or along the balmy beaches of the Virgin Islands or the moss-carpeted downed tree trunks of Olympic National Park.